Friday, August 30, 2013

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech comes on the
heels of the curses of Parshas Ki Savo. The parshah begins, “אַתֶּם
נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם” “You are all standing this today before
Hashem, your God” (Devarim 29:9). Rashi explains what
this pasuk means in the context of the Torah. “After Yisrael heard these 100-minus-two
curses, besides for the forty-nine curses they heard in Sefer Vayikra, they
turned pale, and said ‘Who could possible endure these?’ Moshe began to appease
them. (He said) ‘You have angered the Omnipresent many times, yet He has not
destroyed you. And behold, you still stand before Him (today).” (Rashi to
Devarim 29:12).

The
Kli Yakar asks a few questions on this Rashi. First of all, Hashem warns Bnei
Yisrael that not keeping the Torah can result in these curses and understandably,
they are very scared by this. So how is Moshe doing consoling them by saying
that even with all the terrible things they have already done, Hashem has still
not destroyed them so they have nothing to worry about? Either the curses are
real and Moshe is giving them false hope, or the curses will not come
true and Moshe has now guaranteed that Bnei Yisrael will never have to worry
about not keeping the Torah since they have seen that nothing will happen to
them anyway! And if you want to suggest that the curses will happen but they will
not result in complete destruction, Hashem already promised Bnei Yisrael that
He would never destroy them completely (See Vayikra 26:44), so why would Moshe
have to repeat it here?

The second question is when the Torah lists
the curses in Sefer Vayikra, we do not see them having the same effect on Bnei
Yisrael as the ones here in Parshas Ki Savo. Why not? And finally, why does
Rashi write “100-minus-two” when describing the curses? Why doesn’t he just say
“ninety-eight” (the same way he wrote “forty-nine” in the very same Rashi)?

The
Kli Yakar explains; by both sets of curses, those here and the ones in Sefer
Vayikra, a stubborn person could come up with some way of bypassing the curses.
For example, one of the curses is that the heavens will turn to iron,
preventing rain from falling. This stubborn individual could claim that the
curse only applies to the skies over Bnei Yisrael. The goyim however,
will remain unaffected by the curse, allowing us to get food from them! He will
ignore the true message of the curses, to repent, and instead look for
loopholes to every single one. The only way to combat a person like this is to
not tell him exactly what the punishment will be for his sins, giving him no
chance to look for loopholes and instead have to focus on repenting in order to
escape the curses.

Besides
for the strange way it’s written, if you go back and count up the curses, there
actually are 100 written in the Torah. So why does Rashi say there are only
ninety-eight? The answer is that all 100 are written in the pesukim, but two of
them are not explained fully as to what they actually are. This way, the
stubborn man we mentioned before has no way of nothing what to prepare for
thereby causing immense confusion and fear (and the need to repent). This is
what Moshe had to relax Bnei Yisrael about. He explained to them that Hashem
does not expect anyone to be as stubborn as this individual we have alluded to,
and therefore you do not need to worry about an extra unknown punishment that
might be coming.

So
what is the purpose of including these curses if we don’t even know what they
are? Furthermore, if He was going to put them in anyway, why didn’t Hashem just
explain them clearly to us? The Kli Yakar explains that these are potential punishments
that would be given in Olam Haba (The World to Come). Since it is impossible
for the human mind to comprehend what exists in that completely spiritual
realm, the Torah hid these curses from us, the same way it does not mention the
reward of Olam Haba as well. So when Moshe gave a number, he only gave
the number ninety-eight, the amount of curses Bnei Yisrael could fully
comprehend, while at the same time explaining that there are really 100. He was
also warning them that this world is not the end; our actions are also taken
into account for the World to Come where we will be rewarded and punished as
well.

The
last part of Rashi says, “Just as this day exists, that it becomes dark (for
a time) and becomes light (following the dark), so too God has made it light
for you and will make it light for you again in the future”. (ibid) The Kli
Yakar explains that this is referring to Olam Haba. Even though the sun sets on
you, when you die, it will return when you reach Olam Haba. “The curses and
sufferings preserve you and enable you to stand before Him”; Moshe is
explaining how, in the end, even the curses are a good thing. Because only with
these punishments given in this world, can we can be assured of a place in Olam
Haba. With this knowledge, Bnei Yisrael were able to relax and fully appreciate
Hashem’s commitment to them.

Friday, August 23, 2013

As we have discussed the past few weeks,
we see in Sefer Devarim how Moshe prepares Bnei Yisrael to enter Eretz Yisrael;
Parshas Ki Savo is no different. The parshah begins with the mitzvah of Bikkurim,
The First Fruits. After the land has been conquered and all the tribes have settled
in their territories, there is a commandment to bring the first branch that
blossoms of any tree belonging to the seven special fruits of Eretz Yisrael (see
Devarim 8:8) to the Beis Hamikdash. This mitzvah is performed once a year between
Shavuos and Succos (with the potential to extend until Chanuka).

The pesukim go on to explain how you would
come to the Beis Hamikdash with your fruits and present your fruits to the
attending Kohen. You would then proceed to give a speech acknowledging
everything that Hashem has done for the Nation from taking us out of Mitzrayim to
bringing us to Eretz Yisrael. The speech ends with a declaration that you are
bringing these fruits to the Beis Hamikdash in order to show recognition that
just as everything until we entered Eretz Yisrael was because of Hashem’s
kindness, so are these fruits (and not a result of our own efforts).

“וּבָאתָ אֶל הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם...” “And you will come to the Kohen who
will be in those days…” (Devarim 26:3). This pasuk describing
the donator’s arrival to the Beis Hamikdash begins with a strange statement. What
other Kohen will be there if not the one who is there at that time? Do you
expect someone from the past or the future to be there? We see a similar
wording in Parshas Shoftim by the commandment to set up a court system (See
17:9) that you should go see the judges “that will be there in those days”.
Rashi explains here the same way he does in Parshas Shoftim; even if the
current Kohen is not as great as those in previous generations, you must still
fulfill the mitzvah and bring him the Bikkurim.

The
Ramban asks that while this explanation fits very well in Parshas Shoftim, it
does not go as smooth here by Bikkurim. By court cases, if a person feels the
judge is unworthy of his position, he might be tempted to not go to Beis Din at
all and take care of the case by himself; therefore, the pasuk must warn him to
use the Beis Din. However, by Bikkurim, what other option do you have? Whether
or not you feel the Kohen is up to par, your only option to fulfill the mitzvah
of Bikkurim is to bring it to the Beis Hamikdash. Therefore, this cannot be the
pshat in the pasuk. Rather, says the Ramban, the pasuk is telling us that you
must give the Bikkurim to a Kohen who is on duty at the Beis Hamikdash when you
arrive and not to a Kohen who isn’t. For example, if you have a good friend who
is a Kohen and you would prefer to give him the Bikkurim instead.

The
Kli Yakar tries to answer the Ramban’s question on Rashi with a gemarah in
Kesubos (105b) which says that if you bring a present to a Talmid Chacham, it
is considered as if you brought Bikkurim. Because of this connection, you might
assume that you could only give the real Bikkurim to a Kohen who is also
a Talmid Chacham. And if there is no Talmid Chacham in that mishmar,
shift, then you must wait until there is a Talmid Chacham present to
bring your Bikkurim. Says the Kli Yakar, this is what Rashi was trying to
prevent with his explanation; you must respect the Kohen of those days and
bring him the Bikkurim regardless of whether or not he is a Talmid Chacham.

The Seforno
gives a different explanation. The end of the pasuk states, “וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו הִגַּדְתִּי הַיּוֹם לַיהֹוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי בָאתִי אֶל הָאָרֶץ” “…and say to him, ‘I declare this day
to Hashem, your God, that I have come to this land…” (Devarim 26:3). The phrase “Hashem,
your God” is only directed at someone who is known as a very wise or highly
honorable individual such as a Navi or the king. Even if the present Kohen does
not fill these lofty qualifications, because of the great importance of the
gift of the Bikkurim, which is the acknowledgment of Hashem as the cause and
producer of all sustenance, it is proper that you address the receiver of this
gift, the Kohen, with this lofty phrase.

Friday, August 16, 2013

“כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ
יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ” “When you will go out to war against
your enemies, and Hashem, your God will deliver him into your hand…” (Devarim 21:10). Our parshah begins
with a grammatically confusing pasuk. The pasuk begins with when the Bnei
Yisrael will go out to war against their enemies, “אֹיְבֶיךָ”. From the fact that there are two
letter “yuds” in this word, we know that the word is a plural. However, later
in the pasuk, it says that Hashem will “deliver him into our hands”, in
the singular tense. Why the change in tense? The medrash says on the later part
of the pasuk that if you keep all the laws in the pesukim that follow, then
Hashem will deliver your enemies into your hands. But those pesukim speak about
the laws of a captive woman and if you are not successful in war then there
will be no captives! So how can fulfilling the laws of a captive make you
successful in war when the war is already over by the time the captives have
been taken?

The Kli Yakar explains that the pasuk is
referring to only one enemy: the Yetzer Hara (the Evil Inclination); the most
dangerous, frightening, and personal enemy a person can have. We see from pesukim in last week’s parsha
that wartime is when he is at his strongest (See commentaries to Devarim 20:1).
The pasuk here is promising that Hashem will help you defeat the Yetzer Hara in
your battle against him. But still the question arises; Rashi explains that the
reason we allow a soldier to bring a woman captive home with him is because the
Yetzer Hara will be too strong to resist so Hashem would rather he do it with
permission. So how can Hashem tell us that He will help us defeat the Yetzer
Hara and then allow us to do something only because our Yetzer is too
strong? If it has already been defeated, what is there to worry about? Where is
Hashem’s promise of victory?

In order to understand this better, let
us go through the laws of a captive woman. When you first bring her home from
battle, you must shave her head and have her grow out her fingernails. She must
not wear fine clothes and she must mourn in your house for her family that she
has left behind. All these measures are taken to insure that you will come to
dislike her (as we did not want her to be taken back from the war in the first
place). The juxtaposition of this topic with the next one, which is someone who
loves one of his wives and hates the other, teaches us that if you do
end up marrying this captive, you will grow to hate her.

The Kli Yakar explains that following
these instructions will help you conquer your Yetzer Hara. Any feelings you
might have had for her during the war will be wiped out by the time she is
finished with her mourning, thereby removing your one remaining desire from
your Yetzer Hara! Chazal tell us that when you battle your Yetzer Hara, if you
cannot defeat him, the final attempt should be to remind yourself of your
eventual death. When you contemplate the fact that one day you will have to
answer for all your deeds in front of the Heavenly Court, you will surely be
able to overcome your current desires and inclinations. When she is mourning
for her family in your house, it becomes a shiva house, a place where you can
be reminded of your mortality on a constant basis.

We can now explain the beginning of the
pasuk as well. The multiple enemies written about at the beginning of the pasuk
are both the external and internal enemies we face when we go to battle. The
reason why the end of the pasuk mentions our defeating only one enemy is
because that in order to defeat our external enemies, we must first defeat our
internal one: the Yetzer Hara. While we are still mired in sin, we cannot hope
to defeat our enemies around us. However, we do have a promise from Hashem to
help us succeed. As long as we begin the battle, Hashem will finish it for us. In
fact, by the physical battle we potentially do not have to do anything at all! Once
we have defeated our Yetzer Hara, Hashem takes charge of our external enemies,
and the war is over before it has even begun.

Currently, we are also in a battle, the
battle of Elul. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we must prepare ourselves for
judgment. But as we try to get better, our Yetzer Hara tries even harder to
make us slip up and fail. Let us internalize the lesson of this week’s parshah that
as long as we follow the Torah and commit ourselves to becoming better, we have
a guarantee from Hashem that we will succeed; He will battle for us.
However, we must take the first step. If we show Hashem that we are committed
to changing ourselves, only then will He help us defeat the Yetzer Hara. But if
we do make that commitment, then we are guaranteed to succeed.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Every so often, I like to give over a
vort that besides for giving a deeper insight into the pasuk, it also shows how
the commentaries learned the pasuk in order to bring out those insights. Understanding
how they saw the pesukim allows us to gain a deeper understanding of how to
read and dissect pesukim so we can create our own great insights! This week is
one of these vorts.

This week’s Parshah discusses a portion
of how the Torah court system works. One topic discussed is the testimony of
false witnesses and their punishment. The last pasuk dealing with this topic
says, “וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים
יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ וְלֹא יֹסִפוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת עוֹד כַּדָּבָר הָרָע הַזֶּה
בְּקִרְבֶּךָ” “And those who remain shall hearken and fear; and they shall
not continue again to do such an evil thing in your midst” (Devarim 19:20). Rashi comments on
the words “יִשְׁמְעוּ
וְיִרָאוּ”“hearken and fear”, that from these words we learn that before you
kill the witnesses (if they are guilty of death), you must announce to the
general public that they are being killed as a result of their testifying
falsely in Beis Din.

The Sifsei Chachamim explains Rashi’s
thought process for this explanation. Last week in Parshas Re’eh, we discussed
the fate of a Meisit, someone who convinces other people to serve Avoda
Zara, and who is then killed. When the Torah discusses his punishment, the
pasuk says, “וְכָל
יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּן” “All Israel shall hear and fear…” (13:12). How come by the meisit
the pasuk says that all of Israel should hear while here by the false
witnesses, only those “that remain” should hear and fear? The answer
lies in who we are addressing. Not everyone can testify in Beis Din. There are
many people, such as gamblers, thieves, and others, who are halachically not
allowed to be witnesses for any case. To become a meisit however, the
potentialrests with everybody. Therefore, when the pasuk discusses the
fate of a meisit, it says that the entire nation should hear
since it is applicable to the entire nation. But by the false witnesses, there
are many people who never have to fear from this punishment as they will
never be allowed to testify in the first place! When our pasuk says to address
those that remain, it is referring only to the ones who remain kosher to
testify. Therefore, Rashi has to explain to us two things; first, why the
wording in our pasuk is different than in Parshas Re’eh, and secondly, that we
still need to announce why these people are being killed even though it is not
applicable to the whole nation.

This will also answer another difference
in Rashi. Earlier in the parshah, when discussing the general laws of Beis Din,
Rashi explains the same words of “וְכָל הָעָם יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ”, that we wait until the next Holiday
when the entire Nation will be together in Yerushalayim to kill those deserving
of death. The reason why Rashi did not explain our pasuk like that as well is because
that while we will still wait until the Holiday to kill the false witnesses,
the warning does not apply to the entire nation and therefore the focus of
having everyone together does not apply as well like it does at the beginning of
the Parsha.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

In Parshas Re’eh, Moshe gives over to
Bnei Yisrael many mitzvos which show how we are different from the other
nations of the world. Among them are an obligation to destroy places of Avoda
Zara, the laws of Bamos (private alters), the laws of eating korbanos and other
consecrated foods, and maaser (tithes). All these mitzvos are obligations which
show how we are different; a very important idea as Bnei Yisrael get closer to
Eretz Yisrael and its’ seven nations of Goyim.

The parshah ends with a discussion of
the שלש רגלים(Shalosh
Regalim), the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. Reading the pesukim, we see an interesting
pattern developing. By the eight pesukim which discuss Pesach, not a single
mention is made of the obligation to be happy on the Holiday. However, by the
holiday of Shavuos, the pasuk mentions it once, “וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי | יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ” “And you shall rejoice before Hashem,
your God”
(Devarim 16:11); and by Succos it’s mentioned twice, “ושמחת בחגך …" והיית אך שמח“And you shall
rejoice in your festival…and you will only be happy” (16:14-15)! If
all the holidays are meant to be celebrated with extra happiness, why is happiness
not mentioned by Pesach and also, why do we need these extra mentions by Succos
and Shavuos?

The Meforshim have several explanations but
they all center on the status of the crops. The Baal Haturim says that on
Pesach the crops have not yet been harvested and therefore your simcha is not
complete as you are still worried about them. Will there be a plague? Will
pests get into them? This will weigh down your mind and prevent you from fully
experiencing the happiness of the holidays. On Shavuos, the fields have been
harvested but not the vineyards; therefore there is only one mention of simcha.
On Succos, when everything has been harvested, your simcha is finally complete
and therefore, the pasuk mentions it twice. The Chizkuni adds in a small point
that one of the reasons that the Shalosh Regalim are at these times of the year
is because these are times of harvesting and we are happy as a result of
it. The main idea of Pesach though, is the Exodus from Egypt and therefore does
not deserve an extra mention of simcha like Shavuos and Succos.

Sefer Devarim is the sefer where the mitzvos
changed from ideas to reality for Bnei Yisrael. We see that in this parshah and
specifically this mitzvah of the Festivals. With all the ideas and themes
surrounding these Holidays, we see a new one here; even a holiday set up to
celebrate Hashem, His city, and His holy nation, still revolves around your
personal simcha of your everyday life. Have your crops come in? Are you set up
financially for the coming season? Is everything okay with you? In that case,
let us celebrate! I believe that this combination of spirituality and real life
issues was Moshe’s way of preparing Bnei Yisrael for life beyond the border and
into Eretz Yisrael. May we see the Beis Hamikdash rebuilt speedily in our days
and celebrate the festivals together in the holy city of Yerushalayim!